Cooking Lesson #339: Italian Butter Cookies

… from the California Kitchen

​How you doin’? There is something truly special about Italian cookies. They’re great for holidays, birthdays in, fact just about any day and they’re perfect for people of any age. Need a little energy? They’re a wonderful quick snack or dessert. They are smooth, chewy, and delicious cookies. This is a recipe from Zallie’s Shoprite supermarkets on the east coast. George Zallie used to bring Italian bakers over to the U.S. once a year to help his bakers create new recipes. Hopefully, you’ll love them as much as I do!
 
Italian biscuits or cookies are said to have been invented by Antonio Mattei in the mid-1850s in Prato, just north of Florence. The cookies were instant hits at international fairs in Florence, Paris and London. Biscotto (for 'cooked twice') are also known as cantucci. Look forward to our biscotti recipe in a future blog.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  10 minutes
Additional time:  30 minutes
Yield:  48 cookies
 
Ingredients
1 stick butter
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar (for coating)
 
Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Spray sheet pan with non-stick spray.
3. Beat together the butter and 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth.
4. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
5. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt and combine into the butter mixture until just incorporated.
6. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on the prepared sheet pan spaced about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until firm, about 10 minutes.
8. Cool on the sheet pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Spread the 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar on a plate; roll the cooled cookies in the confectioners' sugar to coat.

 
ChefSecrets:  This is one of those recipes when you need be careful not to over mix the batter when adding the flour.

Quip of the Day: “A little gray hair is a minor price to pay for all this wisdom.”
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